Reuters: Brazil resumes energy import from Venezuela after six years

Brazil resumed the importation of electricity from Venezuela to supply Roraima after almost six years, to a measure aimed at reducing costs and diversifying energy supply for state consumers, which depended exclusively on the local thermoelectric generation.

By Reuters

The final approval of the operation was given on Tuesday by the Council of the National Electric Power Agency (Aneel), with the approval for payments to the Marketing Bolt Energy, which will be responsible for importation.

The Brazilian government authorized Bolt to import Venezuelan energy at a price of 1,096.11 reais per Megavatio-Hora (MWH), valid from January to April of this year.

Due to these operations, the marketer will receive a reimbursement of 41.2 million reais charged to the fuel consumption account (CCC), the main lien of electricity invoices.

The resumption of imports aims to guarantee another source of energy supply for Roraima, the only state of Brazil that does not receive energy from the national network. Since the cessation of imports in 2019, Roraima consumers depend exclusively on the local thermoelectric generation, with fuel also subsidized by the CCC.

Government’s analysis is that imports will be cheaper and may replace part of the local generation, promoting a reduction in total electricity supply costs in Roraima.

According to the newsletters of the National Electrical System (ONS) operator, imports resumed on Saturday, with a limit of 15 megawatts (MW). The next day, however, the operations were interrupted after a disconnection in the Boa Vista/Santa Elena C1 transmission line, which connects Brazil with Venezuela.

The disconnection caused a blackout that same day in Roraima. New ONS newsletters indicate that the load has already been restored in the state, as well as the import of Venezuela’s energy.

A source with knowledge of the issue

The ONS said he would not comment.